andrewnewman
Enlightened
So... We've all slammed the door on a new vehicle we were considering for purchase. It's not very scientific but the "clunk" of a solidly built door that is properly aligned gives you a visceral sense that maybe the car or truck is well built. No way of *really* knowing if it will start leaking oil or stalling intermittently in 9 months by a mere door slam but we do it nonetheless.
So when I first got my Novatac Storm is passed the preliminary "door slam" test. Sure it wasn't hard anodized and the bezel was aluminum. Sure the head spring was soft and deformed easily. Sure that big spring surrounding the battery was a little weird. It still basically felt solid in my hand and worked as advertised.
Well...
2.5 months later I think it has sprung a oil leak (metaphorically).
I noticed early on that odd bumps or bounces would cause it to turn on unexpectedly. I also noticed that at unpredictable times when using the light it would start go into an uncommanded "light show" mode and I would have to loosen the tailcap to get it to stop. The light came with a battery that went unexpectedly dead after a very short time. I chalked that up to an old battery. Later I put a fresh 4Sevens primary in and everything was good. Then one day after several days sitting quietly in my office desk drawer I picked up the light and it was dead. The battery was dead. Ok, says I. I put a fresh Panasonic cell in and verified proper operation. I then used the light on a few occasions over a 2 week period. This morning after the weekend I came in and grabbed the light out of the nice quiet padded desk drawer in my office and, sure enough... dead. The battery was depleted.
So it appears to randomly come on and drain the battery when left unattended. I have put a fresh battery in and locked out the tailcap hoping this will address the issue. This basically makes the light my least reliable specimen.
I do realize I could probably return it to either the dealer or Novatac. It is possible that I just got a dud. For the record, I have checked that all of the threads are cleaned and properly lubricated and that the retaining rings for head and tail are properly tight. I may still return this light but my very unscientific "gut" tells me bad things about this newest line of Novatacs.
Please feel free to draw your own conclusions.
So when I first got my Novatac Storm is passed the preliminary "door slam" test. Sure it wasn't hard anodized and the bezel was aluminum. Sure the head spring was soft and deformed easily. Sure that big spring surrounding the battery was a little weird. It still basically felt solid in my hand and worked as advertised.
Well...
2.5 months later I think it has sprung a oil leak (metaphorically).
I noticed early on that odd bumps or bounces would cause it to turn on unexpectedly. I also noticed that at unpredictable times when using the light it would start go into an uncommanded "light show" mode and I would have to loosen the tailcap to get it to stop. The light came with a battery that went unexpectedly dead after a very short time. I chalked that up to an old battery. Later I put a fresh 4Sevens primary in and everything was good. Then one day after several days sitting quietly in my office desk drawer I picked up the light and it was dead. The battery was dead. Ok, says I. I put a fresh Panasonic cell in and verified proper operation. I then used the light on a few occasions over a 2 week period. This morning after the weekend I came in and grabbed the light out of the nice quiet padded desk drawer in my office and, sure enough... dead. The battery was depleted.
So it appears to randomly come on and drain the battery when left unattended. I have put a fresh battery in and locked out the tailcap hoping this will address the issue. This basically makes the light my least reliable specimen.
I do realize I could probably return it to either the dealer or Novatac. It is possible that I just got a dud. For the record, I have checked that all of the threads are cleaned and properly lubricated and that the retaining rings for head and tail are properly tight. I may still return this light but my very unscientific "gut" tells me bad things about this newest line of Novatacs.
Please feel free to draw your own conclusions.